MEXICO — The Maine Department of Transportation will begin replacing the Androscoggin River Bridge, located between the towns of Peru and Mexico, sometime in 2016 or 2017.

The plan to replace the 85-year-old bridge began in 2014, after MDOT declared that the bridge was structurally deficient and at the end of its useful life.

While MDOT held meetings in Mexico and Peru at the beginning of 2014 to discuss the project with residents, funding for construction had not yet been approved.

Project Manager Leanne Timberlake said that the project received funding for preliminary steps to replace or repair the bridge.

The project gained momentum after Gov. Paul LePage announced his $470 million transportation improvement plan Monday afternoon, which included $11.1 million to replace the Androscoggin River Bridge.

Many of the initial steps, such as the draft of a preliminary design for the new bridge and an annual inspection of the old bridge, were completed during the summer of 2014.

The old bridge will remain in place while the new bridge is constructed.

The Mexico Board of Selectmen said that they felt it was “an excellent idea” to replace the Androscoggin River Bridge.

“It’s been forever since that bridge was built,” Selectman Byron Ouellette said. “It’s about time they got around to doing something about it.”

Dixfield Town Manager Carlo Puiia said that he had not heard much discussion around town about the impact the construction would have on traffic in and out of Dixfield, but was curious about how the construction would affect traffic for log trucks heading to the mill.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com